Floating on Air
by melody unwinding
Summary: [soccer story] He was a star, she was a small town girl-both shared the same passion. Under arrogant circumstances they happened to meet, but they couldn't get away from each other.
1. Sunrise

**A/U : **Okay, when I read it over I thought that it needed a little Zazz or something added to it. And it was probably also the fact that I had watched 'Bend it Like Beckham'. Don't mind this little announcement, but it's important that I add this.

**Disclaimer : **I don't own, you don't sue. Capish?

**Chapter Warnings : **Nothing too drastic that will knock your socks off.

**-**

**Floating on Air**

1 : Sunrise

In the midst of pastels brushed across the early morning skies, a lone figure moved around the dim field. Barely 6 am, a young woman was busy pushing her tired body to work. Clad in only a simply jersey and a pair of shorts, she quickly made her way round and round the boundaries of the green turf. Amidst the brilliant green, black and slight red checks were visible on her delicate feet. As vigilant as she was being, she wove the black and white specked soccer ball through her legs with only few swift movements. As she turned, distinctly perched atop the deep red jersey were a number and a name: 17, Higurashi.

Her hair swayed to and fro in her high ponytail, hypnotizing anything that dared to watch. Though inside her head her mind buzzed with pleasantries of the mornings ahead where she would be partaking in the exact same routine. Though that wasn't the only thing that was on the eldest Higurashi's mind. The dream of playing alongside those she grew up fantasizing about—the England women's team. Posters of soccer players adorned her bedroom walls, each one symbolizing a professional team.

She had grown up with this sport revolving around her head—ever since she had been born. The faint memories of her father always included the sport that he had taken as a profession. He had lived to be a famous soccer player for England's team during the Euro cup—his rise to fame. But after beating Sweden out in the final game 3-2 he had told his teammates and American scouts that he was going to take his leave and settle down with his children and wife. Though he never had the chance—on the night of his arrival he never showed. 24 hours later they found what seemed to be a car wreck off of Highway 49, and they could barely identify the mangled corpse. But it was him—her father.

The police had labeled it as an accident, but Kagome had different views on the topic. Long ago she had dismissed his tragic death and focused on the driven man that made it to the top—for the love of the game, not the money. Lingering memories of her father as a young man imprinted in her mind. Her love for him inspired her to keep going, to reach for the top—like he had.

Her breaths were steady and only a faint trace of her flushed cheeks remained. She slowed down slightly as she glanced down at her digital watch, looking to be a few years too old. The sun slightly began to break above the horizon, but that went unnoticed as she slowly jogged towards the east side of the field. As she neared the net, the slight bulge of a bag was evident among the emerald green turf. She was made a beeline towards that lump, sending the ball with a forceful kick to her own destination.

Just as she happened to arrive at her destination, she heard the faint music of her favored ring tone. She reached down into the side pocket of her bag, her hand emerging with a blue and white plastic covered cellular phone. The loud ringing sounded an awful lot like the song 'Bohemian Like You'—only in a higher tone. She pressed a single button before pressing the small device to her ear.

"Hello?" Her voice flowed airily through the light sky, grazing the grass that she visits every morning to practice. She was looking around with a blank expression on her face before her features lit up and suddenly a large grin was plastered across her face. She chuckled unlike any lady with her 'priorities' in order, giving her overall appearance a fairly liberated look.

"Of course, you know that." She said, as if she were meaning to badger the occupant on the other line. "All right, see you in a few." After she ended her rather short call, she replaced the phone in its proper place. The discarded ball was brought back to her attention. She kicked it hard towards the far end, attempting to resume her previous activity, only she was about to up the pace. The sky was turning into the morning 'glory' and soon the usual joggers would be out and about, waving to her if she happened to be paying attention.

Almost ten minutes later, a figure stepped out from the trees lining the south side of the field—approximately where the concrete path through the park was. The shadow of the woman caught her attention, and she wasted no time in reaching her at top speed.

"Sango!" She called to her friend, laughing like a maniac as her friend sped up to meet her about halfway. Sango Taijiya—the renowned 'man hater' known throughout all of Tokyo. Unlike her exciting sapphire orbs, Sango's were reformed a calm violet—an unusual colour for someone so headstrong. Though, her hair was a more common colour—black that was tied high like her acquaintance's. She had a more womanly shape, fuller in more places that her friend.

"Ah Kagome, always the early bird." She said with a smile, walking with her friend towards where the ball had been abandoned. Sango stopped as she let the girl fetch the ball on her won, and she bent down to tie up her black and white cleats. She wore a similar shirt—only it was a take off of the England jersey, with her last name sewn on the top. Only instead of their favored player's number—Beckham, 7—it was replaced with her own: 16.

"How's Kohaku?" Kagome asked as she returned in no time, excited about her friend being there. Sango stood back up to her full height, rivaling her friend's.

"All right—about the same as you could say for Souta." She laughed as she nudged her friend playfully, ready to get warmed up.

"Enough of this small talk anyway," Kagome said when they were both positioned on either side of the center line. "Let's play."

**I**

"Slow down Yash…" The exhausted voice of a handsome young man rang through the park as he panted after his friend. His dirty brown hair was sticking from sweat to his forehead, and the small rat tail he had tied at the back of his head barely relieved him of any heat. Though his eyes—the most peculiar—were glimmering with an absurd shade of plum that made you wonder if he wore contact lenses. He supported a pair of long black shorts with a name etched at the bottom of the right leg, and his rather clean white shirt was tucked into the waistband of the shorts. The sunlight that broke through the trees made the sweat glisten like shimmering diamonds on his well toned chest that he was boldly proud to say that he was proud of.

"It's not my damn fault that you can't keep up with me Houshi!" His friend—Inuyasha—retorted back, not slowing his pace for the man. Houshi, Miroku as he was formerly known as narrowed his eyes at his companion's back before speeding up past his limit to grab a hold of the man. Beneath the mane of platinum blonde he grabbed onto a matching pair of shorts, only with his own last name printed at the hem, instead of another's.

"Stop or I _will_ pull." He said sternly, panting as his friend slowed down with the sudden weight put on behind him. Inuyasha hesitated before slowing down to his friend's pace, adverting his sun-kissed eyes elsewhere. Miroku jogged alongside his friend, letting him have a breather before he indulged into a topic quite suddenly. Inuyasha had opted for a white wife-beater, instead of the customary tee shirt that all were required to wear. Through the nearly sweat-stained shirt, tight muscles were visible to the naked eye.

"Why are you trying to avoid it all?" Miroku suddenly piped up. "It's not like you can." Inuyasha continued to state forward, trying to send the image that he wasn't listening—Miroku knew he was.

"She's not the one for you—stop running from the truth!" He exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air for a more exaggerated look.

"I'm not running." He ground out, leashing his anger.

"Yes you are! You can't keep living in this misery man—kick her out on her ass and go find someone who you actually want!"

"Who says I'm living in misery?" Inuyasha barked, wondering what all these accusations were about. Miroku looked over at his friend, both eyebrows raised.

"Says I, your best friend, your agent—the one who has known you since you were in diapers!" Miroku exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air for extra overstatement. "I know you better than you think. You say that she has everything you want—namely beauty. But she doe—"

"Excuse me?" Inuyasha interjected, looking over at his friend with slight rage. "She's not only beautiful, but she's smart, and kind—" Now it was time for Miroku to interrupt with a better point.

"For one, she's not kind—she's a cold-hearted bitch after your wealth and fame solely." Miroku said before continuing his previous lecture. "You want someone who loves you for who you are, who can tell the difference between soccer and basketball. Now that _witch_ you have!"

"Stop with the ambush on her, she doesn't deserve it."

"No Inu, she doesn't deserve you."

**I**

"I thought you were supposed to be the top player in your league?" Kagome teased as she watched her friend retrieve the ball from her own net.

"I am—but you're in a league of your own." Sango huffed as she pushed back a stray strand of her dark hair. She tossed the ball back to her friend, watching her expertly bounce the ball from one leg to the other. Sango knew that she was good, but Kagome was something else that she couldn't believe.

"Now Sango, I thought I told you not to compliment me?" Kagome said, grinning like a mad man. "You know it only drives me to the point where I cannot hold onto the restraint on my cocky attitude." Sango rolled her eyes at her friend's statement, letting her _think_ that she was mentally confusing her.

"Quit your yapping and let's get this over with—you need a taste of your medicine." She said before quickly jumping back into soccer-mode.

**I**

Unexpectedly Inuyasha began to trail behind his friend, not on exhaustion, but solely on his mental condition. It wasn't that he was fighting a battle between good and evil, but the works of his love—or who he _thought_ was his love—were beginning to be questioned. Her action, her habits, her secrets—they all came into play during the trial. He knew his friend spoke words of wisdom, but he didn't want to believe that she was playing with his heart. Though, this wasn't gone unnoticed by Miroku. He slowed his own pace down, to match his friend's.

"I know what I'm talking about—the question is, does she?" He said quietly, taking in the beautiful view that surrounded them. Even though it wasn't filled with beautiful women, he still had to admire it all. To him, it felt like he was alone, and reality was light years away. They seemed to be the only ones in the park anyhow, and that made things a little easier to go over.

"I-I don't know." Inuyasha said, sighing loudly as he shook his head. "I don't know what to think—I'm fighting a war that I can never win. Between my heart and my mind."

"When that's done, you can inform me—then you'll see that all along I was ri—" Miroku lost his words and his pace as his eyes landed on the form of something exotic that was rare to his eyes. Long black hair, a voluptuous form, and she knew how to move. She was a little taller than her companion, but her beauty was something foreign that he needed to have an experience with.

"That you were what?" Inuyasha questioned as he realized that his friend wasn't pursuing him. He halted and turned around to see his friend with stars in his eyes. He could've questioned his antics on leaving him without the end, but whenever that look crossed his face, it could only be a woman.

"I-I think I'm in love." Miroku muttered as he took a few steps closer, to get a better view on the woman in his sights. Inuyasha followed suit—only to see what had his friend muttering to himself. As he stepped from the shade of the evergreens, he saw a sight that was rather rare to him. In America, he usually only saw younger women, in their high school years playing soccer—but here and now, he didn't. They weren't amateurs, they were pro's. The way they moved, the skills they possessed, and the power that they had to control the ball like it was under their command—nearly impossible.

But, rather than concentrating on both, or solely Miroku's dream woman, he found the other one a little more interesting. He let his eyes follow her petit form, watching her bounce around, toying with her friend as she bobbed around the net with the ball. They were both very quick, but the other was quicker. Before anyone could predict, she had flown by the other woman and the ball was powerfully forced into the net. He observed in awe, wondering how she could deliver something so strong from someone so feeble.

The ball was quickly kicked back out from the net, and the two were at it again, heading for the other side. Around halfway, the black clad woman was a little messy with her dribbling and the smaller one quickly took her chance at getting the ball back in her possession. She flew down the field; at a pace that it would take force to keep up with. But the most amazing thing about her was the way she handled the ball. Most players would be heavy and rough on the field, appearing jagged around the sides—but she didn't appear like that at all. On the contraire, she was delicate, and almost graceful. Her moves were quick and smooth, and in an almost disbelieving thought, he could swear that her feet barely touched the ground.

It was like she was floating on air.

By now, Miroku had fallen out of his daze and recovered his lost mind. As he looked back at his friend, he noticed that he hadn't been the only one staring. Only Inuyasha's mouth was closed and it was more of a concentrated look of one professional to another. Even though Miroku understood, he couldn't help but feel the need to nag him and tease—even though it was wrong.

"She's good, eh?" Miroku said, smirking slightly as Inuyasha head nodded unconsciously. But his mind caught on quickly and his head snapped to him. "I mean, she's all right. Not that good mind you, all right." Miroku stifled back laughter as his friend quickly regained his 'cool'.

"I see, _all right_ you say?" Miroku asked, giving a thoughtful look from his companion to the woman.

"Keh, of course!" Inuyasha snapped, letting his arrogance steam up. "I've seen my 7-year-old niece do better than her!" Miroku made another noise of thought, a plan forming in his perverted mind.

"But the question here is, can _you_ do better than that?" Miroku questioned, and wasn't at all surprised when his friend snapped back 'keh! Of course!' very loud and smugly. Before another word could be exchanged, Miroku started out for the two women, leaving Inuyasha to stare blankly at his back. But before long, he began to get suspicious and follow him—for the women's safety.

**I**

Kagome was so close to getting it in, but Sango jumped into the path of the ball and it ricocheted off of her and flew out behind her. Kagome laughed at her friend who looked pretty steamed about loosing the ball. She went to retrieve it, letting Sango cool off, but was surprised to find it in the hands of an unfamiliar man. As she approached him, she could hear Sango following.

"Hello beautiful." He said with a rather disturbing smile as he held onto her ball in one hand, letting his eyes fall from her to Sango who arrived at her side. "And hello to you too, my dear maiden." He bowed his head slightly at her, earning an odd look from the woman receiving the words.

"Um hi." Kagome said quietly, a little nervous about being around the strange man. She couldn't deny that he had a boyish air to him and was mildly attractive, but something was off about him.

"And you are?" Sango said rudely, looking over his shoulder at the approaching man.

"Oh my, pardon my rudeness, I totally forgot my manners." He said, giving a sheepish smile. "I am Miroku Houshi, and _that_ behind me is my dear friend Inuyasha Seoki. May I ask you ladies what beautiful names you have been honored with?"

"I'm Sango Taijiya, and this is Kagome Higurashi." Sango said curtly, taking a step partially in front of Kagome, letting herself seem bigger than she was.

"The pleasure is all mine." He said, giving a slight bow to both ladies. As he finished his practiced words, Inuyasha caught up with his friend and slowly came to a stop next to him.

"Inuyasha," He beckoned to each of the women as he spoke. "This is Sango, and Kagome."

At first glance, Inuyasha had thought that he was staring at Kikyou. She had the ebony hair, the pale complexion, the same petit frame—but the one thing that gave everything away was her eyes. The bright sapphire eyes that gleamed in the early morning sun. They portrayed her happiness, and any other emotion she could've been feeling. They were nothing like Kikyou's stone grey eyes.

Kagome noticed that the man was watching her and she looked away, blushing slightly. Sango kept her firm gaze on the man before her, careful not to miss any move he tried to pull on them.

"Now Miss Kagome," he addressed her, getting back to the real reason he had come by. "I was wondering if you'd like to teach a young fool a lesson?" Kagome looked at Miroku puzzled.

"Prove him wrong by his prior statement." He said, trying to pick out the most professional words possible. "That you're merely not 'all right' by means of your skills with a soccer ball."

"I'm sorry but I don't really play…" She said quietly, a little bashful that they had been watching them.

"Oh, but you must! You see, he said that women shouldn't play the sport at all, since they're weak and fragile." Then he added in a whisper. "He said they belong in a house tending to their men." Sango's face turned red and she narrowed her eyes at Inuyasha.

"I think you should tell your friend that he'll be eating dirt by the time this is all over." Sango said as she pulled the soccer ball from Miroku's grip and shoved it into the other man's stomach. "Teach him a lesson Kagome."

"I don't really…" She tried to say, but the words didn't come to her. Inuyasha was looking quite angry with his friend and looked ready to pop the ball at his fingertips.

"I don't think she wants to play against me, all right?" He said dropping the ball on the ground as he looked from each pair of eyes that stared at him.

"What?" Kagome said, letting his words register in her mind. "I think I can speak for myself thanks." His attention was back on Kagome.

"Well you seemed a little tongue tied so I spoke for you."

"Do you think I'm too helpless to actually say a few words, do you?" She ground out, her temper flaring immensely.

"Yeah, I think you are." He said, his arrogance taking a hold of his mind. She took a step forward so that he was within hitting distance.

"I'd watch that mouth of yours." She said taking her finger and poking him in the shoulder. "You're on." He was left speechless with her sudden ambush of action and could only stare blankly at her. She turned back to Sango who was staring at her with the same expression that Inuyasha was giving her.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" She said as she stomped over to her bag, tugging Sango along with her.

"Are you feeling all right Kagome? You usually don't get so…angry at these things." Sango said slowly, trying not to provoke the anger. Kagome pulled out her water bottle and took a quick drink, her eyes set and determined.

"Well today's a day for change." She muttered dropping the container back into her bag. Sango inwardly smirked and ushered Kagome off to where the two boys were waiting.

**I**

"Why you bas—"

"Now, now Inuyasha; I believe that you have a match to play." Miroku said, raising his hand at his friend. "You can't escape the web of fate, accept it—go for it." Inuyasha knew that there was no reasoning with his friend.

"This is pointless and childish. After this is done, I can guarantee you the beating of your life." He growled as he turned away to search for the girl. But he was surprised by her form lingering only a short distance away, but respective enough as to not eavesdrop. She had a determined look in her eyes, and her arms were crossed over her chest in an immature gesture.

"Let's get this over with." She muttered as he approached with the ball that Miroku had carelessly dropped on the ground.

"Don't worry; I'll be sure to end this as quickly as possible." He said in a 'matter-of-factly' tone. But that comment only made the fire ignite beneath her stormy irises.

"You talk big, but the posing question is: can you play?" She retorted back, her tongue like a whip. Inside the arrogant and stubborn side began to dominate, and soon there was no holding him back—he was alive.

"You're heading straight for an ass kicking woman." He said as he placed his foot on the ball that rested between them.

"And you're heading straight for disaster." She challenged before kicking the ball right from under his foot, nearly speeding off in direction of the opposing net. But Inuyasha wasn't far behind, catching up with every step he took.

**I**

"Now this is what I call soccer at its best—sexes collide." Miroku commented, a smile tugging at his lips as he watched the two dance on the field, the soccer ball changing possession every so often. Sango looked over at the man who stood a few feet from her, and she eyed him.

"Have we met before?" She asked him, giving him the once over. He glanced over at her, giving one of his trademark looks that most women would fall to his feet for—but not her.

"I think I'd remember a beauty such as yourself." He said before adding softly. "And I'd remember the aftereffects as well."

"What was that?" She asked, wondering if she was supposed to know what he said or not. He smiled again, reassuring her.

"Nothing love, nothing at all." She gave him an odd look before thinking deeply of where she'd seen that face before. Several scenarios formed in her mind, but none seemed to fit the man before her.

"Are you sure I haven't seen yo…" She trailed off when the recognition came. "You're that sleazebag who has a restraining order from almost every god damn woman in the movie business. I knew I'd noticed you somewhere!"

"I think you've got that wrong, I've never gotten a restraining order in my life." He said calmly, waving her accusation off.

"No, I remember watching a biography on you. You're Miroku Houshi, captain of the American's team! I knew it! You guys are here for the World Cup Championships! So if you're Miroku Houshi, then that means he's…" Sango looked over to where Inuyasha and Kagome were still battling.

"Inuyasha Seokai." Miroku finished for her, just as Kagome hit the ground by his friend's foot. "I'd appreciate it if you kept it on the down low for a while, we're not really supposed to be out of our hotel without security." Sango looked at him, clearly puzzled.

"All…right…" She complied to his demands before taking an extra step away for caution.

**I**

"You _jerk_!" Kagome hollered at the man who was standing above her with a triumphant smirk on his face. She pulled herself up and shoved the man forcefully, making him trip over the ball that was discarded in the heat of the moment.

"What the fuck was that for?" He snapped back loudly as he got up to regain his pride. If he thought she looked peeved before, it was nothing compared to the way she was looking at him now.

"You _tripped_ me if you forgot." She ground out. "And _that_ was paying you back."

"I didn't trip anyone! You probably fell over your own fucking feet!" He retorted, unintelligently acting as if he hadn't gotten past the simple age of 5.

"The only foot I _fell_ over was _yours_!"

"You must be blind woman, my feet weren't anywhere near you."

"Then you must be just stupid to think that!" She nearly screamed as she turned away, already fuming.

"Immature bitch." He muttered under his breath. But no sooner had those words left his mouth then had he felt her foot make contact with his sensitive lower region. His eyes were close to falling out of his head as he felt the pain intensify by more than she could account for.

"No one calls me a bitch and gets away with it." She chewed out close to his face before she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and stomped away, but not forgetting to pick up her ball. From the side the two split up, heading to their own friends.

_What nerve that guy had, calling me an immature bitch. Look whose talking! He can't keep his mouth shut for more than 5 minutes. I think he needs to be checked over; I think they mixed his age up with someone who's actually nice!_ Kagome thought angrily as she stuffed her ball into her duffle bag, changing her shoes as quickly as she could.

"Kagome, what was that all abo—"

"Sango, don't even start with me." She warned as she began to fiddle with her things. Sango kept quiet and reached into her pocket, grasping the receipt that held a number belonging to a certain pervert.

"Let's go." She said solemnly to the dozing woman with s stern look on her face. Sango nodded at the demand and followed suit.

**I**

After a long shower, she was relieved of all the stress and anger that the stupid jerk had laid on her shoulders. After primping herself to a professional extent she headed over towards her current occupation—working as a clerk at a nearby sports store. As she made her way from the back parking, secluded for employees only, to the back of the store, she caught wind of a familiar sound. She smiled as she pushed the door before her open, revealing a brightly lit room.

"_...and Portugal scores again! You can see James is devastated with this goal…_" She could hear the TV announcing.

_Rick and all his soccer games_. She mentally sighed, though not in an annoyed way. She looked over to the man seated in the chair opposite the screen. He was mid 30's with a full head of brown hair and a big smile. And his heart was only bigger.

"Hey Rick, how are you doing?" She asked like one would say to an old friend.

"Ah, Kagome!" He chuckled deeply. "I'm doing about as fine a James after he let the first goal in."

"Re runs?"

"You know it; just the look on his face makes me want to believe that it wasn't his fault for letting those easy goals in. But then again, Beckham wasn't on the ball." He said in an 'all-knowing' fashion. She gave him a heart smile before patting him on the shoulder.

She went to the front of the store and opened it up—just like she did every morning. Contently she sat behind the counter and pulled out her research on potential colleges that was held in a 2" binder. But as she began to flip through the printed pages, she flipped to the back where she stashed memos and various pictures of her dream. But dreams were imaginary, and she couldn't hold onto something that wasn't real.

_Point me in the right way_. She closed her eyes and sighed before letting the soothing noise of the soccer announcer filled her ears.

* * *

* * *

* * *


	2. notices of discontinuation

**NOTICE OF DISCONTINUATION:**

* * *

I, _Melody Unwinding_, feel no longer need to continue the following stories:

(1) Changes

(2) This Can't Be Real

...due to the fact that I have lost all hope within the stories. I have also deleted the following already:

(1) Breakaway

(2) All About You

I am willing to turn over and of the following stories to anyone whoom being added to most stories, I will also post this in my profile.

Thank you for reading my stories, and I apologize for the great delay with many of my stories.

Sincerey,

_Melody Unwinding_


End file.
